Guess Who's Back!
by mauled by squirrels
Summary: Rachel went missing on her b-day after following some familiar people (BO, duh). Now everyone thinks she's dead. NEW: part of chapter 7 OMG!let's celebrate! How Jimmy got his groove back. It's the epiphany of the great detective!
1. intro

I don't own Detective Conan/Case Closed. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this, I would be able to speak fluent Japanese and write it, and I wouldn't be staying up late every once in a while (school's back in session) to watch it on Adult Swim because I'd already know what would happen. Duh! Isn't that obvious? Everyone on obviously aren't the creators of the animes/shows/movies/books they write about. If they were, they wouldn't be posting. NOW, on with my very **_first_** DC/CC fic! Be kind......oh yeah! I'll be using English names because it'll be nicer on the people (like me) who don't exactly know all the Japanese names, aren't that far into the story line besides the stuff they show on Adult Swim, and get all their Detective Conan dubbed. I'm sorry if you no likee......Ah, well......not very many people end up reading my stuff anyway (both material I post on the net AND stuff I write in my life away from the net), boo hoo...oh yeah! (Again) it's AU and the characters will probably slip out of character at some point in time since I haven't seen all of the series. Oh yeah (yet _again_)! There'll probably be one or two little spoilers in the notes. I think one of them is about Harley Hartwell (Hattori Heiji I think in the Undubbed World).

"......" talking

'......' thinking

Intro:

Mystery Girl on the Roof / Come Party Jimmy!

It was six PM on a Friday night and while most people would be heading home and relaxing, a young girl was practicing martial arts on the rooftop of a hotel in downtown Japan. She was actually quite talented in the fighting arts; in fact, the girl seemed to posses skill and experience beyond her years. Any on looker would've been floored if they found out the true age of such an expert fighter. The girl did a series of punches and kicks and stopped her training as soon as the sun began to go down.

She smiled to herself as she sat on the roof of the hotel watching the sun set on the bustling streets of Tokyo. Her legs dangled over the edge of the roof as she took a swig from a water bottle and wiped her sweaty brow with a towel.

'_It's been such a long time since I've been here. I can't believe I've finally come back...'_ At that thought, the girl laughed. '_Even if it is as "Elle Miyazaki." I can't wait to see how everyone is doing after all this time.'_

Elle glanced at her watch and gasped. She was going to be late for dinner with Terry, Aunt Saku, and the Inspector if she didn't hurry and get cleaned up soon.

She took one last look at the sunset before heading inside.

_'I wonder......will they even recognize me when I find them......will they accept my explanations......and more **importantly**...... will they take me back?'_

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Dude! Time for a scene change! Oh, and a little note about mystery girl's name: I got "**Elle**" from **Elle**rey Queen's Mystery Magazine and Miyazaki I just made up, either that or I heard it somewhere (something of her name just had to sound Japanese-ish and another part had to do with some sort of mystery related person or item! Sorry if it doesn't and it sounds stupid! Personally, I don't think it sounds so bad). Just thought I'd let you know.

A young boy of thirteen sat at the window of a laboratory staring at the Tokyo sunset, sighing. On closer inspection, you'll find that he is the bespectacled brown-haired boy we've all known to love as Conan Edogawa, formerly Jimmy Kudo. He seemed quite depressed for some reason or another, and though he didn't have the tell tale signs, he gave off the distinct impression that he hadn't had a moment's peace in a VERY long time.

"Aww......come on, Jimmy!" Dr. Agasa said, startling our favorite detective. "It's your birthday! Try to be a little happy! Why don't we all go out to celebrate?" Jimmy's parents, Harley Hartwell (for those of you from dub land, let's say he miraculously figured out Jimmy's secret with an inadequate supply of clues shall we? Okay! Besides, he finds out in the more complete set of UNdubbed episodes and helps him hide his secret), and Richard Moore (we'll talk about that later, for now, call him friends with Jimmy's parents and _almost_ friends with Jimmy it's the whole in-love-with-the-daughter thing. We'll see how he finds out Jimmy's secret later) silently agreed.

Jimmy turned to face the good doctor and co. with a crestfallen expression on his face. "I'm a twenty-three year old _man_ stuck in the prepubescent body of a thirteen year old _boy_. Even worse, after about five years of fruitless searching, the love of my life is _still_ **_missing_** from my life. Tell me, would _you_ be happy? Would _you_ want to celebrate?"

Jimmy's friends and family gave a collective sigh at that remark.

"Well......uh......no, but—"stammered the doctor.

"But......" Jimmy replied, patiently awaiting Dr. Agasa's answer.

It didn't come. Jimmy, his parents, Dr. Agasa, Harley, and Richard have all been through this same conversation before. Of course everyone wanted to locate the beloved Rachel Moore, now thought dead to the world (besides the people mentioned above), but no one seemed to want it as much as Jimmy did. He put so much effort into finding her along with the Black Organization, that it was almost all he could ever think about. After Rachel's supposed death, it was like he was never happy and nothing could ever make him happy again except for having her back.

Richard slammed a fist on one of the doctor's tables loaded with experiments (Dr. Agasa: "NOOOO! Richard, be careful with those!").

The loud thud startled our favorite detective (along with everyone else in the room) yet again and he faced Richard with slightly widened eyes.

"When we find my daughter, and we _will_, I suspect that she wouldn't want to come home to see her _best friend_ in such an unhappy state of mind." Though he didn't want to face the fact that his daughter had fallen for said best friend, his words did have some sense. "As Conan, you've already seen how worried she gets over your well being...along with worrying your other friends and parents, you'll just be causing _my_ daughter _more_ grief, even if she can't see you right now. And let me tell you, Kudo," Richard said with an accusing finger pointing at the depressed detective, "I _never_ really liked how you did that to her."

"Mr. Moore's right, son." Jimmy's mother piped up (EEE! I don't know the dub names of his parents! Or the dub name of Rachel's mom for that matter! If anyone knows, please tell me! It'll be useful info!). "I had the distinct impression that you disliked making her unhappy."

"Yes, Jimmy," Dr. Agasa gave a small but sly grin. "To quote you from a previous conversation with Rachel: _'You know it puts me in a spot to see you cry.'_"

'_They're right of course_,' thought the young sleuth, defeated. '_If Rachel were here, she'd be very upset. Why can't that girl ever think of herself for once!_' Jimmy looked up at the group of companions now surrounding him. '_I'm always making you cry Rach, even if it is unintentional_.'

"Alright," Jimmy finally said. "We can celebrate me _finally_ becoming a teenager— _again_."

Everyone smiled.

"But this is _only_ for Rachel!" he stated.

"Of course," said Harley, smirking. "All Richard had to do was bring up how your moping would make your _darling_ Rachel unhappy and BAM! (Slams fist in hand) You're ready to party."

Jimmy glared up at his taller friend. "_Shut it_, Hartwell."

WOW! Sorry if this idea is so over done, I just wanted to see it done my way and then decided to share the fic to the world. The world needs more CC/DC fics, don't you agree? I guess, that's the end of the intro! What exactly _did_ happen to Rachel anyway? Who is this "Elle Miyazaki" and just why is she important? (You can probably tell already) Will the karate champ and the detective ever be reunited? If I've got anything to do with it, TOTALLY! See you next time! (Next time could be a while, I've got school now --,) MOSTLY ANY KIND OF FEEDBACK IS WELCOME (EXCEPT FOR THE MEAN KIND!).


	2. chapter 1

Once again, I don't own Case Closed/Detective Conan. Don't rub it in! Dub names, yadda, yadda, yadda. This is all in the beginning of the intro. Go there if you want useless drivel about how I don't own anything, yakkity, yakkity, yak! Only new thing to add is an apology if the whole time line of this fic doesn't work. In Dub land, Jimmy's seventeen when he's shrunk I think, but almost every other fic has him as eighteen. I don't know...... Anyways, on with my hackneyed story!

"......" talking

'......' thinking

Chapter 1:

Flashback-Rachel's Birthday! / Cab Ride Sardine Squish!

**_Flashback!_**

_"Wow! Thanks a bunch, Rachel!" exclaimed Conan as Rachel handed him his ice cream._

_"Your Welcome!" Rachel smiled. _

_It was a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon. The birds were singing, kids were playing in the park, and young couples were strolling along the sidewalks. It was the normal stereo type of the perfect day. _

_Rachel and Conan were at the park that day, just hanging out after having lunch at Sushi Sam's with Rachel's chatty friend, Serena. The two were sitting on a bench by the lake watching toddler's terrorizing the ducks while their parents stood off to the side watching (The parents of the toddlers, not Rachel and Conan's parents. You know, just to let you know. Woah, did that make sense? ). _

_Rachel sighed as a couple walked by eating ice cream, not unlike her and her young charge._

_"You idiot! I'm allergic to pistachio!"_

_"I'm sorry, honey, I am so stupid to forget! Lemme buy you another one."_

_"Oh thanks, you're so good to me!" _

_'Jimmy......' _

_After listening to the passing lovebirds bicker, Conan finally asked, "What's wrong, Rachel? What's with the sighing? It's your birthday! You should be happy. You're eighteen!"_

_"Huh?" Rachel replied, suddenly knocked out of her reverie. "Oh, Conan! What was it you were saying? Sorry, I was kind of—"_

_"Daydreaming about Jimmy?" Conan finished. He grinned as his remark elicited a blush from her._

_"I wish he could've been here......" Rachel told the boy. She turned, gave him a wistful smile, and said, "You know, this is the first birthday I've had without him."_

_Conan looked down at his shoes, a guilty expression painted over his eight-year old features. 'I'm so sorry, Rachel. I can come see you whenever I want, heck, I even live with you......but you......' The small boy reached for her hand._

_"I'm pretty sure he wishes he could be with yo—"_

_SPLAT!_

_"Ha ha ha! Oh no, Conan!" Rachel gasped through peels of laughter._

_"Stupid birds." Conan muttered darkly. A pigeon had just decided to ruin the tender moment by defecating on our poor teenager-turned-kid detective. That's right folks, Conan's head is now covered in bird poop. Fresh bird poop. _

_After waving an angry fist at the perpetrator (How about **poop**etrator?), Conan turned to the still-laughing Rachel. "Glad you think this is funny."_

_"Come on, Conan! If it had been any other person, you'd be laughing too!" She replied. _

_Her only answer was a sour look from Conan._

_"Okay! I'll stop laughing!" she choked out between giggles. "Lemme go get you some napkins, okay?"_

_"Okay." Answered Conan. "Come back soon, Rachel! It smells!"_

_"Okay!" chuckled Rachel, walking off to the ice cream shop across the street. _

_Too bad Conan failed to notice the two familiar thugs in black trench coats walking into the alley right next to the shop......It's also too bad for Rachel, because she, however, did notice. And she remembered...... _

_**End Flashback!**_

'_If I had known that was going to be the last time I'd ever see her......_' Jimmy thought in the backseat of a cab. Everyone decided to take him to Sushi Sam's for his birthday.

'_Where are you, Rachel? Is this what you felt like when you found out that I had left without so much as a goodbye? If it is, you're so much stronger than I am......you took my "leaving" you better than I'm taking your leaving me. If I had known......I never would've let you go get those damned napki—'_

"Oww!" Jimmy yelped as the cab took a turn, breaking his train of thought. He was pushed even _more_ into the side of the cab as Richard's elbow accidentally hit him on the head. Yes, that's right you heard me, _this_ time it _wasn't_ on purpose!

Dr. Agasa, Jimmy's parents, Richard, Harley, and Jimmy were all tightly packed into _one_ cab. Since she was the only female, Mrs. Kudo sat up front with the driver, leaving the five males to somehow miraculously squish into the back.

"Sorry, kid." Richard said. Richard took a loud sniff into the air. "I'm too close to all of you to tell, but whoever's wearing that after shave _really_ needs to cut down......"

'_Why we **all** had to share one cab instead of taking two, I don't know._' Jimmy sighed.

"Yo! Dirver! Could you hurry it up? If we stay this squished together for too long, we might just stay this way!"

'_God, lemme ask you......just **what** did I do to deserve this?_'

No, Rachel! Don't go after those thugs! Eww......Looks like the after shave isn't all that smells......wash your hair, Conan! We'll see what else happened on Rachel's eighteenth birthday in the next chapter. And maybe we'll learn more about this "Elle Miyazaki" too! Oh, poor Conan, Richard always hits you! Is Richard right, though? If the driver doesn't hurry, will the guys _really _stay squished together like that? Or will they just be left with severe spine problems? I guess we'll have to wait to find out! See you next time! (Next time could be a while, I've got school now --,) MOSTLY ANY KIND OF FEEDBACK IS WELCOME (EXCEPT FOR THE MEAN KIND!).


	3. chapter 2

Guess what? I don't own Detective Conan/Case Closed, but you probably figured that out already...it doesn't take a genius to figure that out. Anyway, yeah, you know the normal drill for these disclaimer things...Oh yeah, if it isn't obvious by now, I'll be switching between using Jimmy and Conan every now and then. And I'll be using characters I'm mostly familiar with because it's just easier that way. Oh yeah, and sorry for any grammar mistakes or spelling mistakes or just things not making any sense. AU...whatever. Now...HACKNEYED STORY TIME! WOOHOO!

"I'm writing fanfiction!" talking

'_I'm writing fanfiction!_' thinking

Other stuff in Italics is usually a flashback or onomatopoeias or something.

Chapter 2:

Flashback! Someone Blew Up the Warehouse / Conan Sees Someone Familiar!

"Ahh!" _Thud!_

Richard, red-faced and slightly tipsy, slammed his cup down and bellowed: "YO, WAITOR! More sake!" Everyone was seated at a table in Sushi Sam's, doing what else? Eating sushi.

"Now, Richard," Dr. Agasa said, his accented voice concerned, "don't you think you should take it easy?"

Conan snorted. "You obviously haven't lived with him for six years, Doc. This is just the tip of the ice burg." the young detective stated dryly. He then went back to sulking. What can I say folks? He tried, but the gumshoe just couldn't handle happiness without his beloved Rachel. (A/N: Dude, I'm so gonna fix that!)

Richard frowned and then imitated Conan with a ridiculously high-pitched voice. "_You obviously haven't lived with him for six years._" Richard shook his head. "You know," he began, pointing a finger at the boy. "If my daughter didn't have her heart set on seeing you again and your parents were going to stay in Japan permanently, I'd kick you out...little killjoy...HEY! WAITOR! THE SAKE!"

"Uh...Richard," Booker Kudo, Jimmy/Conan's dad intervened tentatively. "We're right here, you know."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah!" Richard replied. He turned to the elder Kudos and said, "Doesn't that just suck? How our kids ended up? They really like each other...but they can't be together...Fate is so cruel...hmm...at least she isn't in love with an axe-murderer..." Richard then proceeded to pass out in his plate-full of sushi.

Everyone stared.

"Don't worry, you get used to it." Conan voiced.

"You are being a 'little killjoy' though." Harley commented. He was about to continue, but the waitor had _finally_ arrived with Richard's long-awaited sake. "Thanks," Harley said, taking the beverage. "Cheer up, _Conan_ (the waitor was still within earshot). We will find her you know... why do you have to act like you'll never see her again? Who's to say she won't walk in here at any moment, not knowing she'd be running into us?" (A/N: haha!)

"It's like Rip Van Winkle here said," Conan muttered darkly, pointing at the sleeping Richard with his thumb. "'Fate is so cruel.' Fate says she won't be walking in here because Fate is my archenemy."

Before Harley could reply, Conan had slipped back into sulking mode and into a reverie. Richard's words were still ringing in his head. _They really like each other...but they can't be together..._

**_Flashback!_**

_"Where is Rachel with those napkins?" Conan asked no one in particular. He was getting worried. Rachel had been absent for five minutes now. "Oh come on, Jimmy!" he scolded himself. "She's only been gone for five measly minutes! There's no need to alert the police! Besides, she's a big girl who can take care of herself."_

_Conan recalled all the times he'd seen her perform karate. His long time love executed each punch and kick flawlessly with deadly precision and great strength. He chuckled and thought, 'Ha! And the award for understatement of the century goes to...' _

_Fifteen more minutes had passed and Conan grew even more worried. _

_"That's it!" Conan shouted. He couldn't understand what in the world would be keeping Rachel. "I'm gonna look for her!" And with that, he leapt off the bench and decided to check the ice cream shop across the street, the place where Rachel would most likely go to for napkins. 'I really wished she returned with those' he thought as he tried to ignore the smell of the bird poop atop his head. _

_He was about to step off the sidewalk to cross the street when a large BOOM resounded throughout the area. Conan looked up to see a huge cloud of smoke billowing in the bright blue sky. People were screaming and yelling, "What the hell was that?" Someone came running down the street shouting "Someone blew up the abandoned warehouse on 22nd Street!"_

'_22nd Street? That's right behind the ice cream shop...I sure hope Rachel's all right...' Conan's stomach flipped and he was rapidly being filled with a horrible sense of foreboding. Fear seized Conan's heart as a sudden thought crossed his mind. 'Oh no! What if...oh God—'_

_"RACHEL!" Conan ran as fast as his little legs could carry him towards the site of the huge blast. _

_When he got there the place was already combing with cops, firemen, and paramedics. Pieces of the warehouse were scattered all over the pavement while roaring flames enveloped whatever parts of the warehouse were left standing. Injured people were being treated here and there, policemen were asking people questions, and the firemen were doing there best to extinguish the huge fire._

_Conan tried to get closer but he was stopped by a pair of arms picking him up and was scolded by a very familiar voice: "Hold it, kid!"_

_It was Richard. 'He must've followed the police here hoping for a case.' Conan guessed._

_The inch-high private eye tried to wiggle free, kicking and shouting, "RICHARD! Let me go!"_

"_Why, so you can run into that fire? No way!" Richard yelled. He then caught a whiff of the poop on Conan's head. "Ugh! What is **that** on your head?"_

"_Forget about my head, you don't understand!" Conan cried out in panic. "I've got this feeling and-and Rachel... she-she was going to go get napkins for the stuff on my head and she's been gone for like, twenty minutes and sh-she went running in this direction earlier but then she n-never returned..."_

"_What? Are you suggesting that my daughter is in that fire?" Richard asked._

_Both detectives looked each other square in the eye. Richard could tell the boy was completely serious. Never before had he seen such an intense look on the child's face, but Richard wasn't sure what to think of Conan's unspoken implication._

_Now, the only true and solid bond that ever gave these two a connection in the first place was their love for the apparently missing Rachel Moore. Granted both held different types of love for the girl, (one as a father loves his daughter and the other as a man loves a woman with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life with) their feelings did give them some sort of similarity with each other. And it was that same similarity that caused Richard to finally go help Conan check if Rachel was anywhere around the explosion site. Well, that and the fact that the kid's never been wrong before... _

"_Hmph!" Richard, with Conan still captive in his arms, struggling to get free, approached Inspector Megure. He tapped the portly policeman on the shoulder after wedging Conan tightly between his arm and his side._

_Megure turned around to see a somber Richard and a writhing Conan shoved up Richard's left armpit. "Oh, Moore!" His eyes darted between the squirming Conan and the grave faced Richard. "What's up?"_

"_Inspector," Richard began, "Have you found out if anyone was in the warehouse at the time of the explosion?"_

"_Don't know." Megure replied. He saw another officer making his way towards the trio. "Here's McAlester now, he should have a report..."_

"_Sir," the man named McAlester said. "Everyone around the area who has been injured during the blast is being treated and so far there are no deaths accounted for. There are a few reports of someone, maybe a girl, entering the warehouse about ten to twenty minutes earlier, but that hasn't been confirmed yet..."_

_Richard's jaw dropped. Conan stopped struggling. Both went deadly pale. _

"_Girl?" Richard murmured._

"_Ten to twenty minutes ago?" Conan whispered._

"_Hasn't been confirmed..." both mumbled in unison._

"_WELL THEN FIND OUT!" Conan and Richard suddenly screamed at Megure's insubordinate. Megure and McAlester stared at the desperate pair. _

"_NOW!" Conan barked for emphasis. He as so frightened for Rachel right now; he failed to notice his shoelace inexplicably breaking during McAlester's report. _

_McAlester quickly nodded and ran off in search of more information._

"_Mind explaining the outburst you two?" Megure ventured cautiously. "What's wrong?"_

"_Hopefully, nothing is wrong." Richard replied as he and Conan gazed at the dying fire that was the 22nd Street warehouse. Richard finally let Conan down and the small boy fell to his knees, placing his head in his hands. _

'_Oh my God...Rachel...Please, please be okay...please God, let her be all right...' _

_**End Flashback!**_

Conan was brought out of his little reverie by his mother's yelling in his ear.

"CONAN! LOOK WHO WE RAN INTO! INSPECTOR MEGURE IS HERE ALONG WITH SOME PEOPLE I'D LIKE YOU TO MEET! THIS IS MY AUNT SAKURA, HER FRIEND MR. TERRANCE EFSTANIMOTO, AND HER OTHER FRIEND, ESTELLE MIYAZAKI!" his mother shouted.

Jimmy vaguely remembered his great aunt Sakura from his first childhood. He and his parents rarely visited her; they visited her mostly when Jimmy was little and before his parents began traveling abroad. Aunt Sakura had her silver hair pulled back into a bun and wore a white sweater and dark purple pants. She was a kindly old woman and this definitely shown through her warm features. She was everyone's dream grandma; baking cookies for you, knitting sweaters, and the rest of your typical grandma behavior.

"Lovely to meet you, Conan," Aunt Sakura greeted cheerfully. She had this look in her eyes that slightly bothered Conan. It was like she knew something that he didn't.

"Likewise," Conan replied.

"Terrance Efstanimoto," Terrance said. "**_Please_**, call me Terry. I consider it a lot better than being called 'Terrance' and 'Mr. Efstanimoto' is too much for most people to pronounce."

Jimmy turned his attention to Terry. Terry looked to be about his age. I mean, Jimmy's age in his adult form. He had dark blonde hair and wore jeans and dark blue sweatshirt. Terry was actually pretty good looking, but boy, what a funky name! He too held the same look of knowing Aunt Sakura had.

Conan saw Aunt Sakura lightly elbow a young girl trying to hide behind Terry and Inspector Megure. The girl stepped out and Conan was finally able to get a good look at her.

It looked like she was just thirteen or twelve and very beautiful. She had midnight black hair, bright green eyes, and wore a black shirt, plaid zipper cargo pants that bagged at her feet (in my minds eye it looks cuter than it sounds), black converse, and a black watch with silver studs on it (my friend's got a watch like this—it's really cool). Various bracelets covered her wrists and she wore a black choker around her neck. She was gripping the strap of her messenger bag nervously. But the thing that caught Conan's eye the most was her face. It bore an uncanny resemblance to Rachel's when she was that age. Her hair was just different, her eyes were a different color, and she dressed kind of differently than Rachel (it's just the pants, Rachel never really wore pants unless the weather called for it; she usually just wore skirts or shorts), but change all that and you'd have mini Rachel.

The girl squirmed under Conan's stare. "Err...Hey, I'm Estelle, Elle, Miyazaki. Nice to meet you all."

It was silent for three seconds when Conan suddenly gasped and ran toward the newcomers' direction.

"RACHEL!"

Woah...What to say after a chapter like that...What a scene at the warehouse! Something is SOOOO up with Aunt Sakura, Elle, and Terry. Ha! Richard never got his sake, just a face full of sushi! OMG! Is Rachel back? Is that why Elle looks so familiar? Ha! Thank you captain obvious! Well...this chapter was definitely longer. And ooh look! I think this ending might just qualify as a sort of cliffhanger! Wow! Tune in next time to see what happens next! With each passing chapter, we get closer and closer to reuniting Jimmy and Rachel! Yay! See you next time! MOSTLY ALL TYPE OF FEED BACK IS WELCOME (EXCEPT FOR THE MEAN KIND!)


	4. chapter 3

WAHHH! DC/CC! WAHHH! Disclaimer time! No I do NOT own Detective Conan/Case Closed! Blabbity-blabbity-blah! Like you don't already know what I'm gonna say! But what about that chapter two, huh? Crazy stuff. Hope it didn't sound too bad. I know it's not the best, but it ain't too shabby if I do say so myself. I was going over it earlier and found some things I thought I should've changed before I posted. Boo hoo. Oh well, I finally posted and finished it by 11:00 PM. Yeah, I couldn't sleep that night. I have an excuse for that monstrosity. I guess the same excuse could work for this chapter as well. Hehe! Oh yeah, forgive, me but I don't know a lot about cities in Japan or all the culture and stuff...I'll know a few facts, but that's about it. But yeah...now...ON WITH THE OVERUSED AND UNORIGINAL! Hope you can handle it! !!! !!! !!!! !!!!!!! I like exclamation points...Hehe!!!!!

To the reviewers who provided me with names, THANK YOU!

To the reviewer who complained about everyone always ending in cliffhangers...Heh-heh :::Author has sheepish grin on face::: my theory is that it's a cheap way to get reviews. Heh-heh. Sorry, I suspect that there are more cliffhangers to come. Since I can't disclose any personal info, it's okay with me if you just imagine yourself hitting me for doing cliffhangers.

"I'm writing fanfiction!" talking

'_I'm writing fanfiction!_' thinking

Other stuff in Italics are flashbacks or onomatopoeias or stuff like that.

Chapter 3:

Aunt Saku, All Kids Dress like Ruffians! / Conan, Don't Blow Elle's Cover!

**_Earlier that same night..._**

"Elle, I can't believe you're really going out dressed like that!" Aunt Saku (Sakura) exasperatedly said.

"I don't see what's so wrong with her outfit." Terry commented.

Elle, Terry, Aunt Saku, and Inspector Megure were all walking down the sidewalk to Sushi Sam's for dinner. It was a warm night out and the restaurant wasn't too far from Elle, Terry, and Aunt Saku's hotel. Hence, as soon as Inspector Megure arrived, they all walked to Sushi Sam's.

Now, Elle, Terry, and Aunt Saku originally came to Tokyo because Terry, a promising young detective (A/N: don't worry, Jimmy/Conan is still top detective, ain't no way Terry could out solve him) from a small town just outside of Kyoto, was going to visit his uncle, Inspector Megure. He had received a letter from the Inspector just last week inviting Terry over for a visit. Terry thought it'd be a great idea to invite Aunt Saku and Elle. The old woman did, after all, rent him a room and an office for his detective business in her huge house and Elle was a major help on cases; in fact, she was more help than he'd like to admit... He asked Megure, and he agreed; the trip would be a great way of saying thanks to the two. The family reunion between the uncle and nephew was only one of two reasons for going Tokyo, however...

"Detective, look at her!" Aunt Saku replied. "She's dressed like a little hoodlum!" Aunt Saku turned to Inspector Megure. "You agree with me, don't you, Inspector? You must see tons of delinquents in your line of work all the time! Isn't Elle dressed like one?" (A/N: Aunt Saku calls Terry "Detective" and Megure "Inspector". Uh yeah, duh...Hehe...you probably figured that out, but you know, just in case, hehe.)

"Well, Ma'am," Megure answered, "I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree with my nephew here. Elle's just dressed like any normal kid her age. I wouldn't really place her in the 'hoodlum' category."

"You mean to tell me young children her age _all _dress like this?" Aunt Saku placed a hand on Elle's shoulder. She looked absolutely scandalized. "Like _ruffians_?"

"Is she always like this?" Inspector Megure whispered to Elle.

Elle chuckled. "She's always like this." '_She may fuss a lot over the way I've decided to dress, but she really is a sweet old lady._ _But honestly, if I want to conceal my identity I should also change the way I usually dress, not just my hair and eyes. I've gotta go with a different look._'

The four had finally arrived at Sushi Sam's after five minutes of discussing Elle's choice of clothing. Through the restaurant windows, the four saw that the place was pretty empty except for the staff and a group of people all seated at one long table...

"Oh! What a wonderful surprise!" Aunt Saku exclaimed. "My niece and nephew-in-law are here with some friends!" She glanced at Elle.

Surprise came over the young girl's face for the briefest of moments. She was, in fact, _very_ surprised, but good acting skills concealed it. '_They're here? This has gotta lead to some serious trouble...I wasn't planning on confronting them in such a public place...besides, this is my first night back...I wasn't even going to see them until tomorrow...I don't even know what to say yet!_'

"Woah, really, Aunt Saku?" Elle asked for show. "The Kudos are here?"

"Yes." Aunt Saku and Terry knew of Elle's predicament, and they were both trying to give her support without letting anything slip in front of the Inspector. They knew how important her secret was. They knew the truth... (A/N: Dun dun dun!)

"Well," Megure finally said, "let's go in there and say hello!"

The four entered and Aunt Saku was the first to approach her niece and nephew-in-law. The old woman immediately began chatting with her relatives. Elle took this as an opportunity to check the entire party out.

Mr. and Mrs. Kudo were there, probably back from some excursion through a foreign country. Time hadn't done a thing to age the couple; they looked just like they did when she last saw them. Then there was Dr. Agasa. He seemed as jolly as ever, though it appeared as if he had recently singed off part of his mustache. Elle chuckled at this. The good doctor was always making _something_ explode. Next down the line was Harley Hartwell. Now there was someone Elle wasn't expecting. '_Must've become friends with everyone, I guess. Darn, I really missed a lot over the past years._' She thought. Elle never would have guessed that the great rival of Jimmy Kudo would be dining out with Jimmy's parents.

'_Oh geez..._' was the only thought that crossed Elle's mind once she got a look at Richard. '_Why am I not surprised?_' She saw Richard fast asleep in his sushi. His face was a light red that clashed with the wasabi threatening to lodge itself up the sleeping man's nose whenever her inhaled. An empty glass and sake bottle were right next to his slumbering form. She smiled and shook her head in remembrance. '_Did I really expect him to give up drinking without me around?_'

Last, but most certainly not least, Conan. '_Or shall I say Jimmy Kudo?_' Elle thought. Imagine how stupid she felt when she finally figured out the true identity of the young boy. '_I should've known it all along! All the clues were so obvious and you'd think I would've figured it out right away, but no! Instead it takes me six stupid years! I can't believe Terry thinks I'm a major help with his cases!_ ' (A/N: confused? Don't worry, I'll fill in the blanks later, so this'll all make sense if you keep reading on. And if you don't know who the hell Elle is, ha! It rhymes! Hell...Elle I feel so sorry for you and will pray for your brain. Come on! I'm dropping hints like a madwoman!)

'_Why is it that I always find him more attractive with each passing day?_' Elle lovingly thought. Conan's hair was just like it used to be; it still stuck out in all the right places. He was dressed in jeans and a dark green T-shirt. It looked as if the young sleuth had ditched his trademark bow tie, but he still wore those over-sized glasses. '_He looks great!_' That was before she noticed the expression on his face.

Elle smiled. '_If I remember correctly, today's his birthday! The big 1-3...again!_' But instead of seeing the much expected I'm-so-happy-'cause-it's-my-birthday smile, she saw a very depressed young man. Conan looked like somebody had just died. Her smile vanished. '_Yikes...I get the distinct impression that I'm at least partly to blame for that look on his face...and I'm probably right, even though I may have a little trouble accepting that he'd care that much._' (A/N: HAHA! You think, Elle/insert real name that you should already know?)

Vivian Kudo's yelling brought Elle back from her musings. '_Looks like Conan's stuck in La La Land..._' Elle thought. (A/N: I know names now! Hehe!)

"CONAN! LOOK WHO WE RAN INTO! INSPECTOR MEGURE IS HERE ALONG WITH SOME PEOPLE I'D LIKE YOU TO MEET! THIS IS MY AUNT SAKURA, HER FRIEND MR. TERRANCE EFSTANIMOTO, AND HER OTHER FRIEND, ESTELLE MIYAZAKI!" she yelled.

'_Oh crap!_' Elle panicked. She knew Conan would be able to figure out that she was hiding _something_; the kid was sharp and Elle was uncommonly unprepared for this situation. Nothing was going to be able to save her secret from him now...Tisk tisk... and she had her heart set on telling them all herself in a nice secluded area and everything!

"Err...Hey, I'm Estelle, Elle, Miyazaki. Nice to meet you all." Elle slowly greeted after Aunt Saku and Terry had finished speaking. She had a death grip on the strap of the messenger bag she was wearing.

'_I only hope he'll have enough sense to NOT blow my cover, and inadvertently blow his as well, in such a public place._' Elle thought. Then she remembered who she was thinking about. '_Oh come on! I'm thinking about Mr. Logic-and-Details-Solves-EVERYTHING, here! He must have some sort of idea as to what happened on the day that I disappeared. He knows what's at stake and who we're dealing with when it comes to our true identities! He will NOT blow our secre—_'

"RACHEL!" Conan yelled as jumped out of his seat and began running towards her.

'_Well, there goes THAT theory..._'

Unbeknownst to Elle, young Conan wasn't exactly aiming for the _real_ Rachel...

Confused about that last part? Don't worry, I'll fix it in either the next chapter or the one after it. WAHH! Conan! What are you doing! Elle, what are you gonna do about this? You should all know who Elle is. If you don't, it's okay. We still love you. But if you do know who she is (and even if you don't...), keep reading, 'cause I've got more to come! Someone's butting in on Rachel's chance at coming back home. Looks like our lovebirds still have quite a ways to go before they're reunited again! Hope this chapter wasn't too awful. I had fun writing it and I've already got the next chapter under way! And I just realized that "Elle" is like the "-el" part of "Rach_el._" Go figure. MOSTLY ALL TYPE OF FEED BACK IS WELCOME (EXCEPT FOR THE MEAN KIND)


	5. chapter 4

Yeah, I don't own DC/CC. You don't have to rub it in! Yeah. Normal disclaimer stuff. People are probably getting out of character now. Ah well, it's my story so there. Hope it isn't so bad this far. This should be a longer chapter compared to the others. Oh yeah, sorry if this story seems completely unorganized. I've got the general ideas in my head, I'm just having difficulties filling in the details and sorting out what goes where. Heh-heh! Oh! You know what else I like? Those dot dot dot things you know (...) those things... see! I just used them! OKAY! Enough of that! ON WITH MY CLICHÉ STORY!

This chapter's a longer one to make up for not posting soon enough!

"I'm writing fanfiction!" talking

'_I'm writing fanfiction!_' thinking

Other stuff in Italics is usually a flashback or onomatopoeias or something.

Chapter 4:

Flashback-Finding Wallets and Finding Hope! / Nail That Sucker!

Back to the present... ('Cause you know, last chapter...) 

"What?" was the collective response to Conan's sudden shouting and movement. Puzzled expressions were evoked from all present and the commotion woke the slumbering Richard.

"What's going on?" He mumbled. The drunkard then happened to glance in the same direction as Conan. His eyes widened and his voice caught in his throat. He was too surprised to move. "Oh my God!" he mouthed.

Harley was the first out of his seat. He reached out a hand to grab his young friend's arm. "Conan, what the—"

"Rachel's here!" Conan yelled cutting him off and jumping out of Harley's reach.

"WHAT?" Elle, Aunt Saku, and Terry shouted. All three were shocked and showed small traces of fear and worry on their faces. But no one seemed to notice how strange it was that these three were reacting to the situation in such a manner. They were all too focused on Conan and some brown haired figure at the door.

The thirteen-year old/twenty-three year old detective ran straight past Elle, Terry, Aunt Saku, and Inspector Megure. He was so excited at seeing Rachel he nearly ran over poor Elle on the way to the door. "RACHEL!" he yelled again.

Everyone turned their heads to the entrance of Sushi Sam's. Everyone's jaws dropped.

Rachel Moore stood there smiling.

"Hey, everyone." She softly greeted, her voice filled with emotion. "Miss me?" She opened her arms and Conan flung himself at her.

"Oh I missed you so much!" Conan cried. He was so happy; he didn't want this moment to end. He didn't want to stop holding her. He couldn't think of anything but her, not even about how her arrival couldn't possibly make any sense... '_Rachel...you're all right. You've come back to me...finally._'

_**Flashback!**_

_'It's been thirty freaking minutes since that McAlester man left to confirm those reports! Where the hell is he?' thought a distraught Conan._

_Richard, Inspector Megure, and Conan had all been waiting for McAlester to return. The fire had been put out and police were finally able to go through the explosion site for clues. Megure was patient enough, but Richard and Conan were silently trying to deal with the growing panic within them. Richard was pacing back and forth while Conan was sitting on the ground, hugging his knees. Both were very pale and held expressions of pure anxiety._

_All three of them snapped their heads to attention when they heard footsteps coming. McAlester was running towards them with a plastic bag containing a burnt object. _

_"Inspector!" McAlester panted. He held up the bag. "This was found inside the warehouse. Deep breath It was amazing it wasn't burnt to a crisp!"_

_Conan, Richard, and Megure all crowded around McAlester to better examine the object. Megure carefully pulled out the bag's content. On closer inspection, the three realized it was a wallet._

_"Open it, Inspector." Conan urged. 'Don't let it be Rachel's, don't let it be Rachel's...'_

_The inside of the wallet wasn't as damaged as the outside; the three could make out some money, what could have been a library card, and an ID card. The picture on the ID card may have been burnt, but the name was still readable...the card was Rachel's._

_"No..." Richard gasped. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't do anything._

_"Richard, I am so sorry..." Megure murmured. He was so shocked; he didn't know what to say to console Richard and Conan. He never expected this to happen, not to such a good kid. _

_"RACHEL!" Conan cried. "Why? SHE NEVER DID ANYTHING TO DESERVE THIS!" He broke down on the pavement. Tears were running down his face. 'I never got to tell her...she never even knew what happened to me...I'll never forgive myself for not telling her...I'm so STUPID! All that work done, just to return to her, just to keep her safe...all for NOTHING!' _

_"She never knew I loved her..." Jimmy barely whispered. It was almost as if time was standing still for him. He never noticed how it started raining, how the police, the firemen, and paramedics were beginning to wrap things up, or how Eva Kaden, Rachel's mom, showed up after being called by the Inspector. All he could think about was Rachel and how much he hated himself for taking her for granted. "You'd think I'd have learned to appreciate her more after what happened at Tropical Land."_

_"Conan."_

_"Conan."_

_"CONAN!"_

_Conan slowly looked up towards the person who was calling out his name._

_It was Richard._

_"Come on," the older man said. "Eva's giving us a ride home." Richard's voice sounded so lost. _

_'If anyone could ever begin to understand how I feel right now, it's him' Jimmy thought. 'She was...my world...and judging from your reaction, she was your world too, Richard, even if neither of us showed her that.' _

_As soon as Eva got him and Richard back to the agency, Jimmy locked himself up in Rachel's room and refused to leave with the exception of going to the bathroom. He wanted to be where she used to be and be surrounded by her presence, something her room seemed to emit. He would have gotten reprimanded for his behavior, but in a surprising gesture of understanding, Richard defended him. It was quite logical that the boy would act like this, Richard argued, considering that Conan's "parents" were both nearly killed in an accident. He said the poor kid had it rough; the only person that came close to a parent to him was Rachel. And with that, everyone just let Conan stay in her room, bringing him food and watching him for any sign of trouble_ (_aka suicide and the like). (A/N: Gasp! I know, I made Richard make sense and be nice to Jimmy/Conan! I can't believe it either!) _

_Two weeks went by. The explosion was mentioned in all the papers and on the t.v. Rachel was presumed dead and since she was the daughter of the "Great Detective Moore" reporters would sometimes call and ask for interviews only to be screamed at for being insensitive by the dearly departed's loved ones. Jimmy's parents had flown in as soon as they heard the news. Harley had come in as well. They were afraid Jimmy would do something stupid and all sorry to hear of Rachel's untimely demise. Jimmy would barely eat or talk; they couldn't get him to go anywhere or do anything._

_Richard was up late one night sitting alone on the living room couch thinking. He couldn't believe it; his baby girl was gone. He just couldn't believe it. He knew he wasn't the best detective and that somehow someone else was solving all those cases for him and giving him the credit. He knew what this wallet implied about Rachel's fate...but he couldn't believe it, nor would he ever. He just couldn't accept the evidence. He saw the complete police reports; no body was ever found. They just assumed his daughter, his very strong and capable daughter, was burnt up in the blast. 'No wonder they always needed that little boyfriend of hers to solve a crime. They're worse than I am.' He thought._

_Richard was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't notice Conan walk up to him. The small boy had all of his things packed in a bag. _

_"Richard."_

_"Huh?" Richard looked down at Conan. "Oh, finally decided to come out?"_

_"I'm gonna leave." Conan said. He pointed to his bag on the floor. "I know you never liked me. Rachel was always the one who convinced you to let me stay, so I'm gonna move in with Dr. Agasa."_

_"Oh." Richard replied. He wasn't really sure what to say to the kid. It wasn't that he hated the boy, it's just that, he got so annoying sometimes, poking around cases and all...then there was the fact that Richard felt Conan was always hiding something from him. "If that's what you want, and if you talk to your parents about it, of course. You can do that."_

_"Before I go, there's something you need to know about me. I really should've been telling this to Rachel, but since she's-she's..."_

_"Just say it," Richard suggested. He couldn't admit that his daughter was dead either. _

_"I'm not who you think I am." Conan said. He looked away, his guilt for deceiving the Moores resurfacing. "I'm sorry. You and Rachel gave me a home, and all I ever did was lie to you."_

_"I don't think I'm following what you're saying, kid."_

_"I'm really...Jimmy Kudo." _

_Hence, Jimmy confessed everything to Richard. He told Richard about the amusement park, the cases, the tranquilizer dart watch, everything. Richard just sat there, taking it all in and becoming angrier with each word. By the end of Jimmy's narrative, Richard's eye was twitching and a vein was popping out of his forehead. _

_Jimmy saw all this and said, "You can hit me if you want. You have every right to. I've done so much to disappoint your daughter, not to mention everything else. I deserve the pain." The young man closed his eyes and waited for the blow but it never came. He reopened his eyes and stared questioningly at Richard. It seemed that the grown man had restrained his rage and managed to replace the anger in his eyes with calmness._

_"I won't. She wouldn't appreciate it." Richard told him quietly. "You can go ahead and leave now."_

_Jimmy nodded_ _after spending three seconds of wondering at the effect Rachel had on people, even in death. He picked up his bag and was about to open the front door to leave when he heard Richard speak to him._

_"Hey, kid."_

_Jimmy turned around. "Yeah," he replied._

_"Thanks for telling me. And you know, I appreciate your reasons for lying to her all those times, trying to keep her safe. I don't approve of the lies, but you have good reasons. You're not so bad."_

_Jimmy's eyes widened. Did he hear Richard correctly? Was Rachel's dad actually _complimenting_ him?_

_"At least she wasn't in love with an axe-murderer." _

_Jimmy shook his head and allowed a sort of almost-smile to creep onto his face. 'You've got a crazy dad, Rache...'_

_Jimmy made the short walk to Dr. Agasa's in no time, but once he got there, Agasa's front door swung open before he could knock on it. _

_"Jimmy!" Dr. Agasa called. "I have some exciting news! This could really get you over Rachel's 'death'!" The portly man was smiling as if he had just won the Nobel Peace Prize._

_Jimmy looked up at the doctor skeptically. "Yeah right, doc...you know about how I feel about her..."_

_"Just give me a chance to explain!" the good doctor exclaimed. "Richard just called. He wants you back at the agency!"_

_Conan was puzzled. "What? Why?"_

_"He said that after you confessed to him, he realized something very important. After everyone got the news of the explosion and Rachel's 'death,' Richard just couldn't believe it. So, without anyone ever knowing, he went out and looked for clues around the explosion site and also asked all the surrounding buildings for surveillance tapes from that day. And guess what he saw on one of the tapes." Agasa said dramatically._

_"What?" Jimmy sighed. "And could we possibly finish this inside? It's cold."_

_"JIMMY!" Agasa shouted. "LISTEN! This is important! On one of the tapes Richard saw two figures coming out of the warehouse. One was tall and lanky, the other shorter and stout. And both were in black." _

_This last piece of information definitely caught Jimmy's attention._

_"And do you know who else he saw leave the warehouse on that tape?" Dr. Agasa continued. _

_"A little girl..." Jimmy gasped. _

_"In what seemed to be oversized clothes. He says he couldn't tell if it looked like a younger version of Rachel, but right after you told him your secret and left he suddenly remembered the tapes. When he first saw those three on the tape he just dismissed them because they seemed like they didn't have anything to do with the explosion, but after your story..." _

_"Doc, do you know what this means?" Jimmy whispered. _

_"Yes, my boy," the older man replied, "it means Rachel is still alive. She could be in another form perhaps, but she is still alive. Richard checked his attic. It was broken into and some of Rachel's old clothes were stolen."_

_"Oh my God! Rachel! YOU AREN'T DEAD!" Jimmy shouted. He was smiling now. He felt like dancing. Rachel wasn't dead! "If I didn't lock my self in her room maybe I could've gotten to her! We've gotta find her, Doc!"_

_"That's exactly why Richard wanted you back at the agency! He needs to show you that tape! He actually admitted that he needs your help, Jimmy! He wants to find Rachel too!"_

_"Then let's go! You can come see if there's anything you can do to give us a closer look at the people on the tape!" Jimmy said leading the doctor to his car. _

_"You know she probably had the same idea as you did." The doctor stated as the two got into the car. "The 'Keep away from your loved ones to protect them' type of thing. She just has a better cover story than you do though—she has death."_

_"Speaking of death," Jimmy responded. "You lied earlier. This news didn't get me over Rachel's death."_

_"What?" Agasa was perplexed. "How can you say that? Look into that mirror and tell me whether or not that's the face a happy boy!"_

_"How could I get over her death when it never occurred." Jimmy grinned as he bounced around in his seat in delight. 'Rachel...your alive! Don't worry about anything, i'm gonna find you, wherever you are...' _

_**End Flashback!**_

"I missed you too, Conan!" Rachel cried. She pulled away to take a good look at Conan. "Look how much you've grown!" the young woman exclaimed. She ruffled Conan's hair and gave Conan another hug.

She was about to walk over to the others when she was caught in a bone-crushing hug. The faint smell of alcohol filled her nostrils.

"Ugh...dad!" she gasped.

"RACHEL!" Richard bellowed. "Now we've got a real reason to celebrate! Not just the twerp's birthday! Haha! My daughter's back!"

"Ack...yeah, dad, I missed you too." The woman gasped. "Could you maybe ease up on the hug? You're crushing me..."

The Kudos, Harley, Megure and Dr. Agasa all got up and followed Conan and Richard's example. The young woman they were so excited to see was soon enveloped in several more hugs.

"Aunt Saku, Terry, Elle!" Vivian called. "Come here and meet our good friend Rachel!"

This request knocked the three out of their stupor. Aunt Saku and Terry cast worried looks at Elle. The girl's face was full of worry, suspicion, and most of all, fear. They knew how she felt. If you were shrunk ten years younger by an international crime syndicate, forcing you to run away and hide your identity to protect your loved ones, and came home to find someone impersonating you...well...geez. To be frank, you'd be _scared shitless_. You'd be frightened not only for yourself, but also for the lives of those around you. _That_ is a lot of fear.

"Just one moment dear!" Aunt Saku replied. "I really must speak with Elle for a second." The old woman turned her eyes to the anxious young girl/young woman.

"What if it's _them_? The ones who did this to me? They're all...all of them...and I-I probably led them here...Oh, God, what have _I_ done..." Elle whispered. "To think I was planning to tell them all who I am...that I _actually_ believed it was safe for them to see me again..."

Fear had Elle rooted to the spot. She knew that she'd increased her training hours, tried to learn more fighting techniques, and had psyched herself up in case of an unexpected confrontation with those crooks in black. She did everything she could to find out more about the Black Organization and the drug they had slipped her: break into police records, hack into government computer files, even get mixed up in Terry's cases! The fact that Jimmy, her father, and her friends were all there, however, seemed to shatter all those years of preparation. She couldn't risk them getting hurt during a fight, especially when she wasn't at all sure whom she was up against.

"Rachel," Aunt Saku whispered to Elle, a.k.a. the _real_ Rachel. "Listen, you've been training since you were a small child. You are a talented young lady and you've worked so hard to prepare for a situation like this. Don't give in to fear. Terry and I, we believe in you. And remember, you aren't alone in your battle against those men." Aunt Saku nodded towards the group surrounding the fake Rachel.

"Aunt Saku's right," Terry added in. "Your Jimmy is a great detective, right? So he'll know that woman is not the real Rachel. If he really loves you, he can figure out that he's been hugging the wrong girl. And you know, Aunt Saku and I are here for you as well."

'_They're right. I've gotta have more faith in Jimmy and my friends and family... Not to mention myself._' Elle thought. "Okay. You're both right. Those people there love and they know me inside out. They'll know something's up. I've just gotta keep my cool and then I can figure out the safest and fastest way to expose that phony." Rachel quietly stated. "OH! But I still can't help worrying!"

"Things will be fine in the end dear. You'll see!" Aunt Saku encouraged. "Now, let's get over there so no one will get suspicious all right, _Elle_?"

"Yeah," Elle said. "And I can find out more about this woman who thinks she can just waltz in and take my identity!" She had a fiery look in her eyes that her two friends knew very well. She was determined to "nail that sucker," even if it was the last thing she did.

The trio headed over to where the others were. Elle's look softened. She always hated being the bearer of bad news, even if she _did_ have good news to deliver as well. Everyone looked so happy right now, she couldn't even find words to describe it.

'_That means it'll be even more devastating when they find out she isn't really Rachel._' Elle thought. '_Even if it **is** for their own good._'

Hmm...I guess I'm okay with this chapter; it should work for the story. A lot has happened! My, aren't we just blazing through the events after Rachel's supposed death? Yikes! Nice Richard? Where'd he come from? Gasp! Are he and Jimmy like friends now? Woah! And yay, Rachel's not dead! Guess you were too wrapped up in thinking about her alleged death to even notice her breaking into her own home huh, Conan? Now you're too wrapped up in seeing Rachel again to even notice that isn't her you're hugging! Oh golly! You're a good detective right? So get a clue! Real Rachel/Elle, go help him out! Expose that fake! See what happens in the next chapter of my lamebrain story! See you next time! MOSTLY ALL TYPE OF FEEDBACK IS WELCOME (EXCEPT FOR THE MEAN KIND)


	6. chapter 5

Dude! Guess what I'm gonna say now...go on, just guess! What? WOW! Are you, like, clairvoyant or something? How did you know I was gonna say I didn't own DC/CC? Are you watching me? Searches room for hidden surveillance equipment Well, I don't see anything...huh? What was that? You're not a psychic? What a rip off! I'm not gonna write the story now! You know I'm lying right? Hehe! Okay, ON WITH MY THICKENING CLICHÉD PLOT (or lack there of...depends on how mean the critics are)!

"I'm writing fanfiction!" speaking

'_I'm writing fanfiction!_' thinking

Other stuff in Italics is usually a flashback or onomatopoeias or something.

Oh yeah, Rachel (not the impostor one) will be usually referred to as Elle until the fake Rachel is disposed (fake Rachel will be referred to as Rachel until she gets her butt kicked). Thank you. I'm totally freaking out. On the stats part of my account someone has me on their author alert list and favorites list. **I really appreciate everyone who reviews.** It's nice to know someone out there approves of what I'm doing and doesn't think it's stupid.

Oh yeah, sorry if the people are all out of character. I'm doing the best I can. I at least hope they aren't so much out of character that they're like totally and completely different characters. Honestly, though, I'm pretty sure if Rachel tried to do what Jimmy did and paid attention to details and what not, she could do the whole detective thing. I mean, it is her who's always coming so close to figuring out Jimmy/Conan's secret. But then again...Richard is her dad... (lol!)

Ok, I talk to much (places duck tape on mouth)

Chapter 5:

Let's Go to a Costume Ball! / Set the Stage for the Saturn Stone Caper!

Jimmy couldn't believe what was happening. Here he was, with his family and friends _and_ the love of his life, celebrating his birthday. And what's more, he was actually starting to act more like his self pre-Rachel disappearance. Who would've thought that Harley would be right in saying that Rachel could just walk into Sushi Sam's at the same time they were there?

'_This is just too good to be true..._' Jimmy thought. '_With the way my luck usually works it should've been the Black Organization that walked through that door, not Rachel!_' Slowly but surely, his mind began turning a bit suspicious. '_Maybe it is too good to be true after all...We were all convinced that Rachel was shrunk or something just like I was, but here she is...normal. Did she find a cure, perhaps?_' The young man looked at Rachel's smiling face. He promptly shook his head. '_NO! I'll think about this later. She's here right now; that's all that matters! I should make the best of this. Never know when fate's gonna take her away again. I should probably also tell her about what happened to the real me, as well...say...I wonder why she hasn't asked about me yet? Before she disappeared, she'd go crazy whenever it came to my whereabouts...well, big me's whereabouts anyway. I would've expected her to be interrogating my parents right about now. Did she...forget...shit...I thought she loved--but...Oh God...Like I said earlier, I'll think about this later!_' Jimmy shook his head as if to clear away his negative thoughts and continued to stare at the woman next to him. Rachel was sitting there smiling like crazy while listening to Richard brag about the latest job to come into the Moore Detective Agency.

"...Yeah, this billionaire guy, Mr. Hotchkins or whatever, not only wanted some police to protect that priceless Mooney-Saturn-some sort of astronomy term gemy thingy he found on an archeology dig in Egypt, but they _also_ wanted the reassuring presence of yours truly!" Richard said puffing out his chest. "So now, we all get to go to the big fancy shindig the old fart's throwing for its unveiling, with security passes and everything..."

Jimmy mentally chuckled. '_Your dad'll never change, Rache._'

Over across the table, Elle, the real Rachel Moore (that reminds me of rappers—for _real_ playa! Shizzle!) was pondering the right way to expose the evil evil _evil_ woman who was impersonating her. '_I should probably figure out her intentions, try and find out if she's with those black trench coat guys...it'd also be best if we were all in a secluded area instead of Sushi Sam's when I bust this witch for impersonating me...I **definitely** need to find some proof against her...who's to say they won't call **me** an imposter as well...besides, black trench coat thugs or not, she mustn't find out about the whole shrinking adults into kids thing...can't let that happen, that would make things worse..._'

"Elle?"

"Huh?" Elle was immediately knocked out of her musings by Terry's voice.

"My uncle invited us to Mr. Hotchkins' unveiling party. He's going to be there supervising the group of cops protecting the Saturn Stone (yes, that's the name of the gem stone they're all supposed to guard at Mr. Hotchkins' party, it's not the "Mooney-Saturn-some sort of astronomy term gemy thingy", Richard's just being stupid) from thieves." Terry informed her.

"Oh yes!" Mrs. Kudo exclaimed. "Aunt Saku, you, Terry, and Elle should come! Booker and I will be there!"

"What sort of party is it?" Saku asked. "Formal, I presume?"

"Actually no," Conan piped up, finally deciding to do more than just stare at the woman he thought was Rachel. "It seems Mr. Hotchkins decided to keep up with the stereo type of the eccentric billionaire and made the unveiling of the gem a costume ball."

"Huh?" Elle was perplexed. "But...why? It's no where near Halloween. Plus, he wants to protect the stone; otherwise he wouldn't want those cops and da–err Mr. Moore and everybody there... All the guests—including any potential thieves—will be in costume. Couldn't that somehow make it easier for thieves to—"

"Exactly." Conan cut in. "It's kind of a stupid idea, but like I said—stereo typical eccentric billionaire."

"So what's everyone going to dress up as?" Harley asked around the table. He was the only one not going to the ball (Conan: "Quick! Call the fairy godmother!"). "Bet you're going as Sherlock Holmes huh, Conan."

'_Like you need to be a detective to figure that out._' Elle thought.

"Like you need to be a detective to figure that out." Richard snorted.

"You should go as a crab, Richard. You certainly act like one." Conan shot back.

"Why you little—"

While Richard proceeded to try and pound the young detective, real Rachel was struck with an idea. '_Hmm... looks like I've stumbled onto what Mr. Kudo and the rest of the population of mystery writers like to call a "hunch". Yeah...that's the only theory I've got to go on as to why someone would impersonate a supposedly dead me in the first place...I mean, if I exclude the evil crime syndicate theory, that is. If I'm right, she, or maybe even he, is a real veteran and a pro at this sort of thing._' She stole a glance at Jimmy.'_I mean, fake me's even fooled **Jimmy **for crying out loud! Hmm...all I need is a fingerprint or something from that phony and then I can break into the Tokyo crime lab and—yeah. That just might work._'

"Yeah..." Elle mumbled.

"'Yeah' what?" Mrs. Kudo asked. It was good proof that she could be just as observant as her son. "Know what you're going to be for the consume ball?" She couldn't tell why exactly, but there was something about Elle she really liked...almost as if she'd known her before for a really long time...

"Err...Yeah!" Elle responded. "I totally know what I'm going to be for the ball!"

"Elle, I hope you decided to wear something _nice_ for once." Aunt Saku commented. "I've been trying for years to get her to wear something else besides those ragamuffin garments."

"Ha ha. No, I think you might actually approve of my attire for the costume party." The young girl said.

"Just make sure you've got it by this Friday." Richard informed them while getting Conan in a headlock and giving him noogies. "That's when the ball is."

"And today's Monday..." Elle mused. She turned her eyes to the woman who dared to masquerade as her former self. '_Looks like I've already set my deadline for catching this jerk._'

"That's more than enough time..."

Megure's sudden shouting caused everyone to jump out of his or her seats.

"Hey, it's time to go!" Inspector Megure boomed over the conversation. "The waiters said they're going to be closing in two minutes!"

While everyone was getting their things together and heading for the door, Elle (making sure she wasn't seen, of course) whipped out a plastic bag from her messenger bag and nicked the cup Fake Rache had been using during the meal.

"Time to pretend to be Jimmy and crack this case..."

Well, sorry if that's too short. Like the title of the chapter says, I'm setting the stage for the Saturn Stone Caper! Kind of like another introduction or something. Hope it wasn't too painful to read. Oh yeah, the costume thing, I was intending for this to come out around Halloween, but I never made it, sorry! Anywho! OMG! Conan! When the heck will you wise up? You were making some progress to realizing that woman's a fake but then...OH THE AGONY! I wonder if Elle's hunch will be correct? Can you even guess what her hunch is? Probably... But I bet you can't guess what her costume's gonna be! Either way, I'll try to be better about keeping up with posting. Find out what happens in the next chapter...whenever that'll come out. See you next time! MOSTLY ALL TYPE OF FEEDBACK IS WELCOME (EXCEPT FOR THE MEAN KIND)


	7. notice

Hey, Mauled by Squirrels here. Um… I was planning to write the next chapter for this fic this winter break, but I don't know if I can anymore. My grandma's going through a quadruple bypass surgery, and we've gotta get my house ready for our family's Christmas party (it was too late to cancel) and plus I've gotta work on my physics project (damn teachers). I'm really sorry. I love writing this fic and I've got all these ideas ready for when I finally get through this next chapter (it's a toughie), but I just can't get to it right now. I thought I'd have time but…sorry to all of you who wanted me to update. I wanted to update too…it's been so long…again, I'm sorry and I promise to get to work on the fic once I have time…I hope you all have a good Christmas! Happy Holidays!


	8. chapter 6

Okay, boys and girls! Can you guess what time it is? (Waits for you guys to answer, then nods) Uh-huh! That's right! It's disclaimer time! Do you all know what the letter "M" stands for? (Waits for response, then nods again) Right again! "M" stands for "Mauled by Squirrels (dat's me) does not own _Detective Conan_/_Case Closed_, nor will she ever." (Everyone goes "Aww…") Now, here's the tough one…let's see if you can guess what the letter "A" stands for. (Waits for response, then nods her head) Wow! That's correct! I'm very impressed! "A" stands for "Adult Swim sucks a$$ for taking away Mauled by Squirrel's only source of _Detective Conan_/_Case Closed_." Damn sons of ##CENSORED## I can't believe those mother ##CENSORED## would do such an awful thing! (Yes, I know this happened a while ago, but I still carry the grudge…it was an awesome show! How could they! I say we all start bugging those dorks down at the TV station! Who's with me? ) I'm not going to cry though…I must be strong…for the…(tears form in eyes) small group…of people who…who actually reviewed! (Bursts into tears and falls to the floor on her knees) On with my stupid story! (Pulls out tissues to wipe up river of tears and snot falling from her face) I'm okay!

"I'm writing fanfiction!" talking

'_I'm writing fanfiction!_' thinking

Other stuff in Italics is usually a flashback or onomatopoeias or something.

Oh yeah, heh heh. I was reading through my intro and I felt bad because it seemed as if I was, I don't know, excluding the people who get their DC/CC undubbed. At least, that's what I think. So to all of you who read this fic and get the pure unadulterated form of DC/CC, I bestow my deepest apologies…Just in case you're pissed.

Oh yeah, I probably should've included this earlier. It's a key to who's who in terms of English and Japanese names, sorry if I get them wrong…if you look on other fics you'll be able to find out the correct Japanese names:

Jimmy Kudo/Conan Edogawa: Shinichi Kudo

Rachel Moore/ Elle Miyazaki: Ran Mouri

Richard Moore: Kogoro Mouri

Eva Kaden: Eri Kisaki (I think)

Vivian Kudo: Yukiko Kudo (I think)

Booker Kudo: Yusaku Kudo (I think)

Dr. Agasa: Dr. Agasa

Harley Hartwell: Heiji Hattori (I think)

My deepest apologies for the wait; for anyone who's wondering, my science project sucked, the Christmas party went all right, and my sweet old granny is alive and kickin'! Please enjoy my latest chapter! Sorry for spelling and grammar errors!

Chapter 6:

Secret Conversations and Musing in the Night! / Excuse Me, But do You Know Who's Finger Prints These are?!?

_**Somewhere Tokyo, a grumpy person in a cheap motel room waits for a phone call…**_

_Ring! Ring!_

"Hey, it's about time you called!"

_"Yeah well, this Moore guy and the twerp he lives with are a pain in the ass. This bitch's other friends are pretty annoying too…wouldn't stop their damn hugging…they're so suffocating!"_

"Never mind them! And freaking whisper, okay! Now, are you getting all the info we need for the job?"

_"Yeah, whatever. I got the info. Those bonehead cops won't know what hit 'em!"_

"Good, so we can proceed with the plan, then."

_"We sure as hell can! And no one will **ever** suspect the sweet and lovable long lost 'Rachel Moore' to be in on the heist! Hahaha!"_

"This might just be our easiest theft yet!"

_"Yeah, I can't wait to get away from these people and this stupid Rachel disgui—OH SHIT! I think somebody's listening in on our conversation!"_

"Shit! Hang up then, stupid!"

_**In the Moore Household the night after Jimmy/Conan's Birthday…**_

"Who ya' talkin' to Rachel?" Conan asked. He heard some swearing coming from the living room and came to investigate.

"Uh-um, nobody! It's late, get to bed, Conan!" a cranky Rachel replied. She quickly hung up the phone.

"Yeah sure…" Conan turned away from Rachel and walked to his room. He shot her a suspicious look over his shoulder and bid her goodnight.

'_That was way different from the Rachel I knew…hmm…I wonder who she was talking to? I couldn't really hear anything besides the swearing, but I think she said something about a heist…_' Conan mused as he prepared for bed.

'_I admit, seeing her again for the first time in years at the restaurant made me so…overwhelmingly happy, but…when I think about it, something feels really off about her. The swearing from the living room, that had to be her…I almost never **ever** hear her swear, and never so casually. Something's up and it's made her really upset. Or maybe something happened to her to make her different, or… maybe she isn't really Rachel…nah! That's crazy! Who the heck would want to impersonate Rachel?' _Conan shook his head at his imagination.

'_The mentioning of a heist, however, doesn't really sit well with me though…what has she been up to in the years she's been gone?' _The sleuth pulled back the covers and hopped into bed. _'And come to think of it, that Elle chick was acting kind of weird too…' _

Our hero soon drifted off to sleep, with uneasy dreams full of secret phone conversations, thieves, and a blue-eyed brunette martial artist.

_**Back with Fake Rache….**_

_Ring! Ring!_

"Dammit, Kairi, pick up!" the irate impostor swore under her breath. She took a quick look around the empty living room to double-check if anyone was around.

_"Hello?"_ an equally cantankerous voice answered.

"It's me! (Takes another look around the room) I think that kid suspects something! You should've seen the look that brat threw me when he went to bed!"

_"What? Yeah right! You called me at…( checks clock )…**2:30 AM** for this?"_

"No! I'm serious! I don't know how much he's heard, but I'll have you remember that from our shitty little stake out of this place two weeks ago we learned that this twerp was the nosiest of the entire bunch! I'll bet anything that he knows something's up and that he's gonna try and stick his nose into our business! Oh God…he'll probably try and drag his friends into it too! Maybe even the police!"

_"Okay, okay! We'll figure out how to deal with the brat and the others later! We've still got time! Right now, just continue acting like the goody goody you're posing as. Now let me sleep!"_

"Fine! But I'll get in contact with you later!"

_"Yeah, yeah, whatever."_

_CLICK!_

_**That same night at an earlier time (though still quite late)…**_

The true Rachel, AKA "Elle", let out a sigh of relief as the few remaining workers in the Tokyo crime lab at Police HQ turned off the lights and started to lock up. The shrunken young lady had dressed in black for the break in and carried a bag packed with all the necessary equipment (lock picks and the like). She had a mask over her face and even wore gloves so as not to leave fingerprints. She couldn't afford to be identified; she would get in serious trouble for breaking into Police HQ.

Elle leaned from her perch in the tree next to one of the lab's windows and proceeded to pick its lock. She didn't have to worry much about security systems; she became proficient at hacking during the years she spent away from home. Besides, since her dad was a former cop, she had spent loads of time wandering her father's workplace; she knew the place inside out. She had exactly two and a half minutes to pick the window's lock and open it before the lab alarm systems finally got turned on and heralded her arrival.

_CLICK!_

"Hmm… They really need to get a better alarm system for this place," Elle whispered as she slid the window open. "This one's too out dated and slow to start up." The shrunken martial artist popped out the window screen, cautiously tossed her messenger bag through the window, and hopped into the lab, being careful not to accidentally knock things over and alert people of her presence. Next, she quickly dealt with the security cameras, switching the _live_ security footage (that had her in it) with a _recording_ of last night's (that didn't have her in it and was acquired by her by hacking through the police station's computers). Once that was done, she was free to search the lab for the necessary tools.

"Now, where is it…Aha!"

Elle silently padded over to the set of equipment she needed to lift the fingerprints off Fake Rachel's Sushi Sam's cup and identify them. (I have no idea how police stations and crime labs and finger print identification tests go, so I'm just going to be really general and not use details. Sorry if it all seems so far-fetched. Same goes for the break in and police security systems) After she got the prints off the cup, Elle then ran a computer analysis on them. Needless to say, the police database gave her some _very_ interesting results.

"Jackpot!" the young martial artist quietly cheered. She printed the information and saved it on her memory stick just in case she lost the papers. (I've got no idea if that's the right name for it; I've got one though. It can store more than a floppy disk. I love it because it holds all my school stuff and free time writing projects on it those are a lot of words. I used to have them all on separate floppy disks that'd I'd always lose because there were so many I save _everything_; I'm sentimental, but now, everything's saved all on one little thing-a-ma-jig. Any way, enough of my prattling…)

Elle walked over to the printer and shuffled through the papers. "Let's see what we have here…" It was the file of some international thief wanted in 27 different countries! "Looks like my hunch was right." She whispered to herself. "Hmm… according to her record, she's got an accomplice. Better get the info on him or her as well." And so she did, repeating the same print and save process she used for the info on Fake Rache.

Our heroine was just finished putting the finger printing equipment and computer back to their original state and was about to fix the security cameras when she heard some voices coming from down the hall.

"Yeah, Bob. The missus was all in a huff when she found out I forgot her present in the lab…" came a muffled voice through the door.

"Ha, sucks for you Phil…" came a second.

'_Ah! No, Phil! Not in the lab!_' Elle thought in a panic. '_I'm in the lab!_' Elle quickly gathered her things and fixed the cameras. She could hear the footsteps coming closer and closer. '_Crap!_' The girl made a mad dash for the window and leapt outside. She was lucky the lab was on the second floor; Elle didn't think she could land safely if she jumped out of a higher window. Our heroine hit the ground running and was out of sight by the time Phil came to investigate the screenless window.

"Huh?" Phil scratched his head when he got to the open window. "Why was the screen popped out?" The man then shrugged and put the screen back in its proper place. He had no idea what occurred that night in the lab, nor would anyone else for that matter.

WOW! Who would've figured Fake Rache to be such a potty mouth? Was anyone expecting Real Rachel/Elle to be pretty good with break ins? And if anyone's tired of Clueless Jimmy/Conan, raise your hand! We're getting closer to the night of the heist and the night of the reunion between our favorite karate gal and detective guy! Yay! I can't wait, can you? If you're like me, then hang in there! It takes me forever to update, sorry! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Consider it an apology for the long update and a belated Christmas gift rolled into one. See you next time! MOSTLY ANY KIND OF FEEDBACK IS WELCOME (EXCEPT FOR THE MEAN KIND!)


	9. it's part of ch7, be excited!

Disclaimer: I don't own DC/CC. I probably never will. How depressing...I'm so depressed, my disclaimer is uncharacteristically short...

"I'm writing fan fiction!" speaking

'_I'm writing fan fiction'_ thinking

Other stuff in Italics is usually a flashback or onomatopoeias or something.

This is for TomikoChan who's tired of stoopid Jimmy. Thanks for reviewing! You and everybody else who does keep me writing. I love you all so much! (Wipes tears from eyes)

this is only part of chapter 7 and proof that i haven't forgotten my baby!

Chapter 7:

How Jimmy Got His Groove Back/ It's the Epiphany of the Great Detective!

Jimmy couldn't sleep for long with the confusing dreams he was having. He woke up around one o' clock and lay in bed for an hour trying to go back to sleep when he heard a light shuffling through the halls. Figuring that he wouldn't be getting to bed any time soon, he decided to see who was up at that ungodly hour. He tip-toed through the hall and saw a distressed Rachel using the phone.

'_She looks really nervous and a little panicked about something... looks kind of pissed too.' _Jimmy thought. He saw her pick up the phone, dial a number, and look around suspiciously. '_Who would she be calling at this hour?'_

In light of his recent musings, Jimmy decided to sneak into the kitchen to eavesdrop on the other line. Boy was he in for a surprise!

Jimmy listened to the woman he _thought_ was Rachel speaking to someone named...namedoh what was it? Cairo? No, that wasn't it! Oh yeah! It was Kairi! Either way, Cairo or Kairi, he couldn't believe his ears! Stake out...nosey twerp..._the goody goody she was posing as_! This lady he was eavesdropping on was definitely _not_ Rachel! Jimmy's face was still plastered with shock when he hung up the kitchen phone.

How could he have been so _blind_? So _foolish_? So down right _stupid_? He was _the_ Jimmy Kudo! Never mind he was masquerading as Conan Edogawa! He was still Jimmy, darn it! He was Tokyo's number one detective! He was Rachel Moore's best friend since childhood, and, he hoped, her one true love! _Why_ did he not notice this before?

'_I'm **Jimmy** freaking** Kudo**!'_ he thought. A mean glare replaced his dumfounded look. '_Rachel, I'm going to figure out who this imposter is! And when I do, she's gonna pay!'_

"Hey, what are you doing up?" a sickeningly sweet voice said from behind him. Speak of the devil. It was Miss Fake-o. Her tone of voice was one a bratty child would use when trying to hide something terrible from his or her parents.

"O-oh!" Jimmy feigned surprise as he turned around to face the imposter. "Hey! I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get a glass of water..." he trailed off. He saw that malicious glint in her eye and he knew what it meant. Her eyes screamed, "I'm going to go nuclear on you if you know what I'm up to and try to interfere!"

"Oh, is that so?" Fake-o crossed her arms over her chest and leaned on the kitchen doorway. "Where's your glass?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"I-"

"What the hell are you two doing up so late?" Richard cut Jimmy off, appearing behind Fake-o Rache-o. The ex-cop probably saved him from what could have been a disastrous situation. By the looks of it, Richard had also gotten up for a drink, and knowing him, it most likely wasn't water.

"Rachel, Conan, get to bed!" '_The nerve of these kids! Not letting an old man drink in peace!'_ the grown man thought.

"Yes sir." Both our hero and antagonist replied. Before Fake-o could say anything to Jimmy, he sprinted off down the hall and into his room, locking his door as soon as he was in.

'_Whew, saved by the drunk,'_ he thought. '_I've got to be careful around that phony from now on.'_ The detective hopped into bed and pulled up the covers up to his neck. '_And it probably would be best if I kept this to myself. I can tell from that phone conversation I'm not dealing with friendly people. They might even be working for the Black Organization...oh God! If the others knew, more lives would be in danger! I've gotta unmask this faker alone, and fast!'_ He later fell asleep while thinking of a plan to unmask our villain.

That morning, Jimmy got up with a purpose. He was going to do the unthinkable. He was going to go into territory that he had never snooped in before and never would have if the real Rachel had been around. He was going to...to..._gasp_! He was going to go through Rachel's room to find out the true identity of the Faker! 

Now it wasn't that he never went through her things before; he did so hundreds of times when they were kids the first time around. (I mean, come on! The guy wanted to be a detectivehe had to be nosy!) But _that_ was when they were _kids_. The room he wanted to search belonged to _grown up_ Rachel, not _little girl_ Rachel. Things change when you get older. He had absolutely no idea what to expect when it came to...um, shall we say..."certain drawers".

'_Ugh...'_ Jimmy thought. '_Okay, I will not search through her unmentionables...not unless I have to.'_ A picture of women's underwear and Rachel flashed through his mind. The young detective shook his head. '_Ah! NO JIMMY! Bad thoughts! BAD!'_

He knew that Richard was passed out and wouldn't be waking up until noon, even then, he'd probably only get up to stuff his face full of food, then fall back asleep (the old man was getting predictable in his old age). Fake Rache said she'd be out until two doing only God knows what (Ol' Jimmy was certain she was trying to contact that Kairi character). Jimmy would be free to search the room for the entire morning.

Well, this is just a part of Chapter 7: How Jimmy Got His Groove Back/ It's the Epiphany of the Great Detective! Why don't we call it a preview of coming attractions? Hope it wasn't too disappointing. Any who, it's my Spring Break and since I can't really go anywhere (I'm rather poor compared to all my rich preppy-preppity-prep-prep classmates at school; no offense to those of you who are well-to-do and preppy, I'm sure not all of you are snobs.But anyway... This one guy's going to Rome, Italy. I nearly strangled him out of jealousy!), I thought, '_Hey! This is a GREAT time to try an update my DC/CC fic! Awesome!'_ So here I am posting this little tid-bit of chapter 7, showing you all that I haven't yet given up. See you next time! MOSTLY ANY KIND OF FEEDBACK IS WELCOME (EXCEPT FOR THE MEAN KIND!)


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